Wire tying machine



April 24, 1934. w, x 1,956,234

' WIRE TYING MACHINE Original F le O t- 28. 1931 Patented Apr. 24, 1934 PATENT FFiiCE WIRE TYING MACHINE Henry Wilfred Cox, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia Application October 28,

Renewed September June 17, 1931 14 Claims.

This invention relates to improved manually operated means for securing a wire strand about a case or package by twisting overlapping portions of the wire about each other to form a triple series of twists in which the twist in each end series is opposite in direction to that of the middle series, a flat of untwisted strands separating each series from the adjacent series.

The invention comprises rotatable wire gripping mechanism adapted to receive one end of the wire, pivoted wire gripping means adapted to seize portion of the wire leading to a coil of wire, wire twisting means automatically brought into operation when the wire has been sufficiently tightened about the case or package and adapted to over-wind the twisted tie, wire cutting means brought into operation after the over-winding of the tie and means for returning the wire twisting gear into normal position when the excess end 20 lengths of wire have been severed by the cutters. Other distinguishing features of construction will be apparent from the description of the machine illustrated.

In the accompanying drawing which illustrates one form of the invention:-

Fig. 1 is a plan with the cover removed;

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation on the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a similar view on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a similar view on the line 44 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a similar view on the line 55 of Fig. 1.

A manually rotatable shaft 10, which is supported in bearings in a framing 11, is provided with a slidable double faced clutch 12. The face of the clutch nearer the turning handle 13 is, normally, in engagement with a collar 14 loose on the shaft 10.

Collar 14 carries a gear wheel 15 which meshes with a gear 16 loose on a shaft 17 which is mounted parallel to shaft 10. To gear wheel 16 is secured a gear wheel 18 also loose on shaft 17 and in mesh with a gear wheel 19. Gear wheel 19 is loose on shaft 10 and is provided with a ratchet 20 and sleeve 21. On the sleeve 21 is fitted a bevel pinion 22 which meshes with a circular gear 23 mounted loosely about a stub axle 24. A pawl 25 on gear wheel 18 engages the ratchet 20 and prevents backward rotation of bevel gear 22.

To the body of clutch 12 is fitted a slidable rod 26 which is adapted to push the clutch towards the right into engagement with the collar 14, and also to pull the clutch towards the left away from collar 14 and into engagement with a gear wheel 2'7 which is loose on shaft 10.

A gear wheel train adapted to be operated by 1931, Serial No. 571,651. 15, 1933. In Australia means of gear wheel 27 consists of a gear wheel 28 loose on a fixed stub shaft 29 and meshing with gear wheel 27, a gear wheel 30 loose on the parallel shaft 17 and meshing with gear wheel 28, a gear wheel 31 fast on a lay shaft 32 and meshing with gear wheel 28, a gear wheel 33 fast on the lay shaft and meshing with a gear wheel 34 which is similar to gear wheel 30 and is loose on the shaft 17.

A horizontally slotted Wire twisting pinion 35 in mesh with gear wheel 30 is mounted on a spindle 36 which is horizontally slidable in hearings in the framing 11. A similar twisting pinion mounted on an independent and horizontally slidable spindle is in mesh with gear wheel 34, and a compression spring 37 mounted between 70 said spindles tends to resist travel of the twisting pinions towards each other during the twisting operation and thus prevent undue strain on the strands of wire lying between the pimons.

A boss on gear wheel 30 is provided with a recess having a fiat face 39 and a sloping face 40, and into this recess is adapted to lit a similarly shaped pawl 41 carried by an arm 42 which is loosely mounted on the stub axle 29 of gear wheel 28. The pawl 41 is pressed towards the boss 38 by a spring 43 and permits rotation of gear wheel 30 in one direction but prevents backward rotation of the gear wheel beyond the point where the pawl is housed in the recess. This position of gear wheel 30 is the position in which the slots of the twisting pinions are horizontal and facing outwards.

Slidable horizontally on the shaft 17 is a sleeve 44 which carries locking pins 45 (Fig. 2) adapted to enter suitably placed recesses in gear wheel 30. Sleeve 44 covers a cam faced member 46 which is fast on shaft 17. Member 46 isiprovided on one of its outer faces with gear teeth which are adapted to mesh with a sector gear on a wire cutter 47 which is pivoted on the framing 11. The position of the teeth of member 46 is adjusted by means of a wedge 48 controlled by a threaded bolt 49.

A wire cutter 50 (Fig. 3) similar to the cutter 47 is mounted on the framing near the other end of shaft 17 and is adapted to be operated by a member 51 which is similar to member 46 and is adjusted by a wedge 52 and a bolt 53. A tension spring 54 secured to the framing 11 and to the sleeve 44 partially rotates the sleeve about the shaft 1'7 when the pins 45 are withdrawn from looking position in gear wheel 30.

To member 46 is secured a lever 55 which is controlled by an adjustable tension spring 56 secured to the framing.

Sleeve 44 is provided with an adjustable bolt 57 which is adapted to be forced against a shoulder 58 on the lever 55 when the pins 45 are in locking position in the gear wheel 30 and the wheel 30 is rotated to over-wind the twisted tie formed by the twisting pinions.

The movement of lever 55 by the bolts 57 against the resistance of spring 56 results in partial rotation of shaft 17 so that the teeth on the members 46 and 51 engage their respective sector gears and force the cutters 47 and 50 through the excess end lengths of wire.

To sleeve 44 is fitted the fork of a lever 59 pivoted on the framing and pulled inwards by a tension spring 66. Lever 59 is also pinned to a hooked arm 61.

A pivoted wire'gripping member consists of a pivoted arm 62 provided at its lower end with a cam face which forces a wire against a block 63. The arm 62 is pivoted on a block 64 which in turn is pivoted on a pin 65 on the framing 11. The pin 65 also carries a block 66. Portions of block 64 shown at 67 and 68 are cut away so that arm 62 and block 63 may be turned towards the block 64, against the resistance of an adjustable spring 69, and block 64 itself may be turned slightly before making contact with block 66.

The outer end of the pull and push rod 26, which controls the movements of clutch 12, is secured to block 66, and the hooked end of arm 61 engages the outer face of the block and is forced into position by a spring 70.

A toggle '71 is pivoted on the framing 11 and on one arm is fitted a roller 72 which contacts with a shoulder of block 66. The other arm is attached to an adjustable tension spring which is adapted to regulate the amount of tension to be given to the wire about a case or package before the twisting mechanism can be brought into operation.

The rotatable wire gripping device consists of a collar 74 (Fig. 5) the upper end of which forms the circular gear 23, and a sleeve 75 provided with a wire directing grooved face 76. Pins 77 on the collar pass through elongated slots in the sleeve and permit partial rotation of the sleeve over the collar. The collar and the sleeve are provided with a series of spaced radial recesses 78 into which a free end of the wire to be secured about the case or package is inserted. A spring 79 ensures normal alignment of the recesses 78 in the sleeve with the recesses 78 in the collar.

The framing 11 is mounted on a broad base plate 80 and is provided with fixed wire holding slots 81, 82 with splayed mouths. These slots are positioned near the line of travel of the cutters and each slot is of sufficient width to take one strand only of the wire to be used and is of sufiicient depth to hold two or more strands side by side without binding on each other. The edges of the slots in the twisting pinions and of the slots 81 and 82 are bevelled off to prevent distortion or nicking of the wire strands while they are being twisted. All the slots are in horizontal alignment with each other.

The ratio of the gear wheels 30 and 34 to each of the twisting pinions is chosen so that one cornplete revolution of the gear wheels about the shaft 17 produces two or three complete revolutions of the twisting pinions. Partial rotation of shaft 17 by the automatic movement of lever 55,

when the pins 45 are in looking position and the handle 13 is further rotated, produces further rotation of the twisting pinions to over-twist the wire tie already formed and this over-twisting of the tie neutralizes the untwisting eifect due to the resilience of the twisted wires. The partial rotation of shaft 17 by the lever mechanism brings the wire cutters into operation so that severance of the end lengths of wire from the tie and consequent release of the tension on the wire gripping members cannot be effected until the tie is formed and over-twisted.

When the wires have been severed the cutters are returned to normal inoperative position by the aid of springs 83 attached to the framing and to the members 46 and 51.

In operation, the spring 73 having been adjusted to the desired tension, one end of the wire is pushed into a radial recess 78, the wire is in serted in the slot 82 and in the slots in the wire twisting pinions, it is then passed around the case or package and again inserted in the slot 82 and in the slots in the twisting pinions to lie side by side with the strand already in these slots, the wire is then pushed into the slot 81 and secured between the cam face of arm 62 and block 63, without being severed from the supply coil of wire which is mounted in any convenient manner to the left of the machine.

The strands of Wire lying between the twisting pinions may be crossed over each other before they are pushed into the second twisting pinion slot.

The handle 13 is now rotated, and since clutch 12 is in engagement with collar 14, gear wheels 15, 16, 18 and 19, sleeve 21 and bevel gear 22 are rotated by the shaft 10, and circular gear 23 and the collar 74 are turned about the axle 24. The pull on the wire acts as a drag on the sleeve 75 so that the recesses 78 in the collar 74 and sleeve 75 are pulled out of alignment with each other and the wire in these recesses is bent and securely gripped. When the wire is sufiiciently tightened about the package the pivoted wire gripping member on the left of the machine is swung about the pin 65 so that the block 66 moves outwards and pulls with it the arm 26 and thereby disengages clutch 12 from the collar 14, the shoulder of block 66 moves under the roller 72 and spring 69 snaps into action and completes the travel of the arm 26 to force the clutch into engagement with the gear wheel 27. At the same time block 66 pushing on the hooked end of arm 61 produces outward movement of forked lever 59 so that sleeve 44 is moved away from gear Wheel 36 and withdraws the locking pins 45 from looking position in this wheel. Spring 54 immediately cants sleeve 44 thus preventing the reentry of the pins into the recesses in gear wheel 30.

On further rotation of shaft 10 by handle 13, the gear train 28, 30, 31, 33 and 34 is rotated with the result that the twisting pinions are rotated in opposite directions to each other and the strands lying between the pinions, and the strands between each of the fixed slots 81, 82 and the adjacent pinion, are twisted about each other. Three series of twists are thus formed, flats of untwisted strands, equal to the horizontal length of the slots in the twisting pinions, being left between the series of twists.

In the meantime the hook on the arm 61 has slipped on the rounded face of the block 66, so that spring 60 pulls lever 59 inwards and thus moves the sleeve 44- inwards with the pins 45 pressing against the face of gear wheel 30. As the gear wheel rotates the pins 15 enter the recesses in the wheel and the sleeve 44 is moved around shaft 17. I

Further rotation of the handle 13 now forces the bolt 5'3 on sleeve 4-; to engage with the shoulder 58 of the lever 55. Lever 55 is thereby moved against the "esistance of spring 56 and by means of member 16 partially rotates the shaft 17 and at the same time effects over-twisting of the twisted strands. The cutters 4'7 and 5e are then operated by means of thesector gears to sever .the excess end lengths of wire leading from the fixed slots 81, 82 to the wire gripping devices.

As soon as severance of the wires takes place spring 56 returns the lever 55, and gear Wheel and the twisting pinions are turned in the reverse direction until pawl e1 entering the recess in the gear wheel 30 stops the backward rotation of this gear wheel and of the twisting pinions which now have their slots horizontal and facing outwards.

When the excess end lengths of the wires are severed the tension spring '73 moves the toggle which operating on the block 68 forces the push arm 26 inwards so that the clutch 12 is automatically disengaged from gear wheel 27 and returned into engagement with the collar 14.

Springs 83 attached to the members 46, 51 return the cutters e7, to normal inoperative position.

I claim:-

1. A wire tying machine comprising in combination a framing, a manually rotatable shaft mounted in the framing, a rotatable wire gripp g member and a non-rotatable wire gripping member mounted on the framing, gear wheels loose on the manually rotatable shaft, a double faced clutch slidable on said shaft between said gear wheels and adapted to be brought automatically into engagement with either one of said gear wheels, a shaft mounted in the framing parallel to the manually rotatable shaft, gear wheels loose on th parallel shaft, a gear train meshing with one of the gear wheels loose on the manually rotatable shaft and with the gear wheels loose on the parallel shaft, a wire twisting pinion in with each gear wheel loose on the parallel shaft, lever mechanism adapted to over-twist the tie formed by the twisting pinions and to partially rotate said parallel shaft, and wire cutters operated by said partial rotation of parallel shaft.

2. A wire tying machine according to claim 1 in which automatically slidable locking pins mounted about the parallel shaft are adapted to enter and to be removed from recesses in one of the gear wheels loose on the parallel shaft.

3. A wire tyin machine according to claim 1 in which one of the gear wheels loose on the parallel shaft is provided with a flat faced and sloping faced recess and a spring pressed pawl is adapted to limit the backward rotation of said gear wheel to the housing position of said pawl in the recess.

a. A wire tying machine according to claim 1 in which a pull and push rod is connected with the clutch and with the non-rotatable wire gripping member, and an adjustable tension spring mounted on the framing controls the movement of said pull rod.

'5. A wire tying machine according to claim 1 wn "h the non-rotatable wire gripping memoted on the framing, a spring pressed toggle on the framing engages with the wiregripping member, a sleeve carrying locking pins adapted to enter recesses in one of the gear wheels loose on the parallel. shaft is slidably mounted on the parallel shaft, a spring pressed forked lever is connected with said sleeve, and a hooked arm is pinned to said lever and engages said wire gripping member.

6. A wire tying machine accordin to claim 1 in which a cam faced member provided with gear teeth on one of its faces is secured to the parallel shaft, a sector gear on a wire cutter mounted on the framing is adapted to mesh with the teethon the cam faced member, and the lever mechanism is adapted to partially rotate said cam faced member.

'7. A wire tying machine according to claim 1 in which a sleeve is slidably mounted on the parallel shaft, locking pins adapted to enter recesses in one of the gear wheels loose on the parallel shaft are carried by the sleeve, a spring pressed shifting lever connected with said sleeve is adapted to be operated by the non-rotatable wire-gripping member, an adjustable tension spring is connected with the framing and with the wire gripping member, and a pull rod connected with the clutch is secured to said wire gripping member.

8. A wire tying machine according to claim 1 in which a sleeve is sliclably mounted on the parallel shaft, locking pins adapted to enter recesses in one of the gear wheels loose on the parallel shaft are carried by the sleeve, a spring connected with the framing and with the sleeve is adapted to cant the sleeve when the locking ins are removed from the gear wheel, and a spring pressed shifting lever pivoted on the framing is adapted to slide said sleeve on the parallel shaft.

9. A wire tying machine according to claim 1 in which a sleeve slidably mounted on the parallel shaft is provided with locking pins, recesses are formed in one of the gear wheels loose on the parallel shaft to receive the pins, a cam faced member provided with gear teeth is secured to the parallel shaft, a wire cutter is pivoted on the framing, a sector gear is formed on the wire cutter and is adapted to mesh with the teeth on the cam faced member, an adjustable spring pressed lever is connected with the cam faced member, and an adjustable bolt on the sleeve is adapted to operate said lever when the locking pins are in locking position.

10. A wire tying machine according to claim 1 in which the non-rotatable wire gripping member is pivotally mounted on the framing, a spring pressed block on the wire gripping member is adapted to be moved into contact with a second block on the wire gripping member, a pull and push rod is connected with said second block and with the clutch, and an adjustable spring pressed toggle engages a shoulder on said second block.

11. A wire tying machine according to claim 1 in which the rotatable wire gripping member consists of a collar mounted on a stub shaft on the framing, a circular gear is formed on the upper face of the collar, a sleeve is mounted about the collar, pins on the collar pass through elongated slots in the sleeve, and said sleeve and collar are provided with aligned wire holding recesses.

12. A wire tying machine according to claim 1 in which the wire twisting pinions are mounted on independent horizontally slidable spindles in the framing, and a compression spring is positioned between adjacent ends of said spindles.

13. A wire tying machine according to claim 1 in which the framing is provided with a broad base plate, a splay mouthed slotted member is fixed to the framing between a twisting pinion and each of the wire gripping members, the slots in the twisting pinions and in the fixed members are in horizontal alignment with each other, and the edges of each of said slots are bevelled.

1 1. A wire tying machine according to claim 1 in which the rotatable wire gripping member is automatically freed from rotation by the manually rotatable shaft, the gear wheels loose on the parallel shaft are rotated about the parallel shaft by the manually rotatable shaft through 

